economic environment remains relatively slow, traders predict new highs for the precious metal could come in the first half of next year. that's if gold is able to break through certain technical levels. >> i think if we can get above $1,816. we should see 19 and a quarter. if we can get above $1,925, then $2,000 is definitely in our sights. >> reporter: experts say one thing that could push gold prices above $2,000 an ounce this year is if president obama is re-elected. the thinking-- the president will keep bernanke employed, which means interest rates stay very, very low. suzanne pratt, nbr, new york. >> tom: stocks moved higher ahead of tomorrow's report on the september job market. the s&p 500 really gained moment just after 10:00 a.m. eastern time after the commerce department released its report on september factory orders. while total orders were down, it wasn't as bad as feared. the index finished higher by seven tenths of a percent. trading volume held steady on the big board-- 672 million shares. it was just under 1.6 billion on the nasdaq. financials and materials were tw